There are previously known systems for monitoring either respiratory signals, or movements of a subject during sleep and especially for detecting SIDS-related apnea or respiratory cessation in infants aged 0 to 24 months. Such systems typically employ movement and force transducers, such as accelerometers, and respiration (pneumographic) flow, volume, or thorax movement transducers. An exemplary prior system is the BABYSENSE monitoring system manufactured by Hi Sense, Ltd., located in Shilat, Israel.
Sleep analysis software products are also available for analyzing in a computer, data received from sensors, such as the above-described transducers. An exemplary software product is the SLEEP ANALYSIS SYSTEM FOR WINDOWS, manufactured by Datasystmeter A/S, located in Aalborg, Denmark.
Unfortunately, such transducers, systems, and software products typically have one or more disadvantages including unreliable respiration and respiration cessation detection, inability to distinguish between respiratory movements and other movements, unsuitability for home usage (commercial configurations), unsuitability for infant monitoring (adult scale factors), and a relatively high expense (require a computer, software, and interconnecting cables). Moreover, most require a physical attachment to the monitored, which attachment limits natural movements and creates psychological side effects.
What is needed, therefore, is a low cost, sensitive, and reliable respiration and movement monitoring system that does not require any physical attachments to the monitored and that is suitable and safe for home, commercial, or institutional use on infants and adults alike.